Avatar: The Story of Jake Sully
by ModestoJoga
Summary: Avatar told thrugh the eyes of a Jake Sully who can walk and has lived a good life instead of the harsh life of a man who's life was taken from him prematurely.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar or anything that is part of its franchise.

Summary: A retelling of Avatar with a walking Jake Sully.

**Chapter One: Leaving **

_(Jake's P.O.V)_

When I was lying there in the VA hospital, with a big hole blown through the middle of my life, I started having these dreams of flying. I thought that my life as a full person was over but I was wrong; my brother Tom was there to pick me up. I'm a soldier, a marine, in Venezuela I was shoot: bullet tore straight through my spine.

I was sent to a VA hospital were I laid for months in self pity until my brother came back into my life and slapped some sense into me. For a year my brother and I worked our asses off until we made enough to pay for the surgery that would give me the both the usage of my legs my life back. My surgery was a success and with physical rehabilitation I was a new man; my brother was there every step of the way but then we parted ways.

Tom Sully went back to being a scientist while Jake Sully went back to being a marine.

I became a Marine for the hardship. To be hammered on the anvil of life. I told myself I could pass any test a man can pass and I did. With moral support from my brother I was back to doing what I liked; I rose through the ranks and was chosen to be part a part of The Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch AKA the Specters.

I've become the man I am know thanks to my brother the man who gave the second chance few wish for but never get: my brother that was killed two days ago.

Let's get it straight up front. I don't want your pity. I know the world's a cold-ass bitch but I never knew how cruel life was until I got the news that my brother; my one true friend had been murdered.

I'm sitting in a bar trying to drink myself to death and I look at the crowd, there quiet. All I see is some drunk on a barstool slapping the woman he's with. All I hear is the contact of his hand against her face. I see her cowering away but he grabs her arm, shouting, raising his fist. People look away and I can only look at him and them in disgust.

You want a fair deal; you're on the wrong planet. The strong prey on the weak.

I get up I'm tired of watching this drunk hit a girl for no reason at all; for the two days of been drinking myself to sleep I've watched her get beet to a pulp and nobody does a damn thing.

Jake stops, unnoticed, next to the man everyone else notices his presence and back away. He leansdown and grabs one leg of the man's barstool and yanks, the chair flips, the guy goes down HARD andJake gets a grip on the guy, like a pit bull, and begins to punch the crapout of him, right there on the floor.

The bouncer jumps in, trying to drag him off and it goes into: everybody yelling and pulling...

All I ever wanted in my sorry-ass life was a single thing worth fighting for.

_-Break _

Two days have passed since my scuffle in the bar; the guy I beat is still in the hospital and the bouncer is there to keep him company along with anyone else who got in my way. I'm in the morgue now I'm having Tommy's body cremated; his body shouldn't be buried in a world that only tried to kill his hopes and dreams.

Two men in matching suits walk in. Their features are the same as any FBI agent or US marshal.

"Are you Jake Sully?". I can tell his nervous.

"Step off. You're ruinin' my good mood". I don't know who they are but the sight of them is pissing me off.

"It's about your brother" the second one seems calmer, a lot good that does me.

I turn to the cardboard box next to me an attendant is pulling it open and all it reveals is a dead man's face. He looks EXACTLY like me. He is, or was my identical twin Tommy.

The strong prey on the weak. A guy with a knife took all Tommy would ever be, for the paper in his wallet. Jesus, Tommy why you instead of me. The Suits' concern was touching I could only glare at the two.

"Your brother represented a significant investment. We'd like to talk to you about taking over his contract".

The attendant closes the box and seals it with a tape dispenser, like it's a package for shipping. The cardboard coffin is rolled into the furnace.

The egghead and the jarhead. Tommy was the scientist, not me. He was the one who wanted to get shot light years out into space to find the answers. Me, I'm just another dumb grunt gettin' sent someplace I was gonna regret.

Inside the furnace the burners quickly eat away the cardboard; I watch Tommy's face for a moment it is, wreathed in flame but not touched by it, as we ….

"Alright I'll do it for him; my brothers' dream doesn't need to die here".

"A fine sentiment mister Sully".

_-Break _

I took my brothers contract and found out I'm being shipped out to Pandora; the most hostile environment in known space. Most men would be afraid but I'm not; I'm a marine, I'm a Specter operative, but most importantly I'm carrying my brothers dream.

Jake squints as the lights flicker on, revealing a man in medical scrubs floating weightlessly over him.

Wherever I'm going now it's not Earth.

I get out of my stasis pod and begin to float around the multi-tiered Cryo Vault. Hundreds of Cryo Capsules are opening like morgue drawers, as med techs pull themselves about in Zero-G, tending to their patients and getting everyone adjusted; after all we've been sleeping for five years.

"Are we there?". My voice is hoarse; haven't said a word in five years.

"We're there, Sunshine". The Med-Tech smiles at me and moves on to the next guy.

People are emerging from their stasis-capsules and trying to adjust to the Zero-G environment. Pale spirits of the dead rising from rows of open coffins. The Med-Techs are floating among them making sure to look at everyone and making sure that no ones dead.

"People, you have been in cryo for five years, nine months and twenty two days. You will be hungry, you will be weak. If you feel nausea, please use the sacks provided for your convenience. The staff thanks you in advance". The Head Med-Tech goes to help out one man who has yet to wake up.

Ipush away from my capsule, gliding to the lockers across the aisle, I stretch my arms and legs; both feeling sore from not being used.

Against the cold infinity of stars glides an interstellar spacecraft, the ISV Venture Star. It moves past worlds like an endless train, I realize this thing is **ENORMOUS**, must be over half a mile long. I head to an available window and see my destination: A gas-giant called Polyphemus, ringed with dozens of moons. I'm only interested in Pandora; the moon my brother loved yet never saw.

I look towards the largest moon, a blue and surprisingly Earth-like world called Pandora.

_-Break_

ISV Venture Star drifts above a spectacular vista – I look at the sapphire seas and unfamiliar continents of Pandora. I can see why Tommy wanted to come here it is nothing like earth.

I'm on the shuttle that will land on the surface, as the shuttle moves away, descending toward Pandora, I think I hear the sound of DRUMS, building, louder and louder. Damn cryo does a number on you.

I look out my shuttle window as we fly over the landscape of massive cliffs and towering mesas carpeted in rainforest. Great scarves of cloud swirl around the mesa tops. A primeval landscape, vast and forbidding. The trees are alien, the color too cyan. There are waterfalls, rivers, and distant flocks of winged creatures flying buy.

"That's interesting" is all I can say as I look at this planet.

Suddenly the rainforest gives way to the sight of an open pit-mine, a lifeless crater as if a giant cookie-cutter took a chunk out of the world. Down among the terraces are excavators and trucks the size of three story buildings. Beyond the mine is my new home; a place called Hell's Gate.

Hell's Gate is a cluster of squat concrete and steel structures surrounded by chain-link fences 10 meters high, topped with razor wire. At the corners are towers with automated sentry guns swiveling on servo mounts. I feel the Valkyrie shuttle roars in over the treetops landing on the hard blacktop.

I'm sitting in the cargo hold; I'm leading the soldiers out. The crew chief stomps down the aisle yelling.

"Exopacks on!" Passengers don their EXO-PACK breathing gear with practiced moves. It is time to enter their new home.

"Remember people, you lose your mask you're unconscious in 20 seconds and you're dead in four minutes. Let's nobody be dead today, it looks bad on my report".

"Exopack on, let's go!"

I up in the front of the aisles, with duffels ready. Rows of tense, expectant faces in breathing masks, I guess were all just as nervous.

The cargo doors open with a hydraulic whine.

"Go directly into the base! Do not stop! Go straight inside!" yells the crew chief.

I'm running with the arriving colonists we double time down the ramp. They jog across the exposed blacktop toward a walkway covered in chain-link which leads to the complex.

Inside the chain-link tunnel are a couple of Sec-Ops trooper, Corporal Lyle Wainfleet and Private Fike. Sec-Ops is the colony's private security force. These guys are laid back, hardened, and haggard. Their a bunch of thugs and hired guns who bring only shame to anyone who calls themselves a marine.

"Look at all that new meat" says Wainfleet.

"Check it out, man. Look at the lead man's tags: Specter Commando" says Fike.

I cant help but smile, it's good to know that these idiots realize I'm not like them, I'm ten times better.

A huge tractor, taller than a house, roars past on muddy wheels. I notices something sticking in the tires - arrows. The Neolithic weapons stick out like a weed in all this advanced technology. Beyond the tractor, two VTOL vehicles take off. Armored and heavily armed, they are AT-99 "SCORPION" gunships.

I notice more weapons, two sets of MITSUBISHI MK-6 AMPSUITS, human operated walking machines 4

meters tall. I notice that their patrolling the perimeter. They are heavily armored, and armed with a huge rotary cannon called a GAU-90. Whoever else is in this world must be pretty damn intimidating for all these weapons.

Beyond the outer fence stands a black wall of forest hundreds of feet high. A sentry gun opens fire from a tower. This place isn't safe but then again no place I've ever been is safe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Introductions **

Jake sits on a bench in the cafeteria within Hell's Gate; it's the newcomer's debriefing, and their being conducted by none other than Colonel Miles Quaritch: the head of security. Quaritch's features are rugged and aged by war, only the scars on his head, which run from scalp to jaw down one side of his face stick out. On one hip he carries a very large pistol.

"You are not in Kansas any more..." said Quaritch, "... You are on Pandora, ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact every second of every day".

Jake studies the colonel; to be honest he studied everything he could about Pandora. If he was going to carry his brothers' dream he needed to be prepared and thanks to his Specter status within the armed forces he received Intel on every man, woman, and creature on the planet. So far Jake hasn't liked what his heard about the RDA or Quaritch.

Colonel Quaritch raises his hand and points out the window, toward the dark tree line.

"Out beyond that fence every living thing that crawls, flies or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for jujubes". Quaritch's words are meant to instill fear and so far it works.

The room gets very quiet.

"We have an indigenous population of humanoids here called the Na'vi. They're fond of arrows dipped in a neurotoxin which can stop your heart in one minute. We operate - we live - at a constant threat condition yellow".

Jake looks at the terrified faces of miners, machine operators, engineers, and geologists as they take that in.

"As head of security, it's my job to keep you alive. I will not succeed …. not with all of you. If you wish to survive, you need a strong mental attitude; you need to follow procedure..."

'_Nothing like an old-school safety brief to put your mind at ease' _thought Jake as he listed to Quaritch finish.

_-Break_

Moving calmly and quietly through the corridors of Hell's Gate Jake tried to put his mind at ease. People are roaming in both directions, looking for rooms, lugging duffels and cases.

'_This is for you Tom; hopefully I can be some good'_

"Hey, you're Jake right? Tom's brother? You look just like him".

An eager young man, staggering under an over packed duffel, runs to catch up to Jake. Jake looks at the man with a slight glare; he's sizing the kid up, if he knew Tom he might be harmless but better to be safe than sorry.

"Sorry, I'm Norm Spellman; I went through avatar training with him" said the young man eagerly.

Norm offered his hand and Jake shock it; Jake can tell just by his actions than Norm is probably just like Tom: an eager kid with a dream.

"He was a great guy, funny too. It was a big shock to all of us and … and I miss him, he was the only friend I had in training".

"Yeah, I miss him too but if Tom was your friend I'll be your friend all the same"

"Obviously you look like him. I mean, if you weren't genetically identical, you wouldn't be taking over his avatar" said Norm with a friendly smile.

"That's why I'm here Norm, carrying my brother's dream".

"So, you want to go check it out?" Norm was hesitant.

"Let's go" said Jake with a smile.

Jake and Norm enter a place called the BIO-LAB a large lab complex with many adjoining rooms. Jake could see why his brother wanted to come here; to a Xenoanthropologist, or any other scientist this place is heaven.

"Norm is out here to drive one of these remotely controlled bodies called avatars. They're grown from human DNA mixed with DNA from the natives here"

A scientist is supervising the uncrating of two containers. The nearer has the

sides removed, revealing to Jake and Norm a large tank. Norm stops to stare, and Jake moves past him as if drawn by some unseen force, toward another tank. There is a figure floating languidly inside, which looks like a man. A very large, very blue, man.

Jake studies the body: Blood circulates through a synthetic umbilical in the abdomen. As the figure turns in the amniotic fluid, Jake sees that it has a lemur-like tail. The skin is cyan-blue, and it has long black hair.

"Damn, they got big" said Jake.

"Yeah, they matured on the trip out" said Norm as he turned towards another person, "So the proprioceptive stims worked pretty well"

"Yeah, they've got great muscle tone. Give us a few hours; you guys can take them for a spin. By the way I'm Max, Max Patel".

Jake shakes the man's hand but is distracted by his avatar. Its sleeping face turns toward him, and the features are feline ears and a long feral snout, definitely Jake's.

"It looks like him" said Jake.

"No, it looks like you. This is your avatar now, Jake" said Norm with a friendly smile.

_-Break_

"The idea is, every driver is matched to his own avatar", Jake is facing a camera, talking directly to the lens, "so their nervous systems are in tune. This is why they offered me Tommy's place, because I can link with Tommy's avatar, which was insanely

expensive". Jake looked of to the side at Norm, "Is this right? I just say whatever in these video logs?"

"Yeah. You just need to get in the habit of documenting everything: what you see, what you feel its all part of the science. Good science starts with good observation". Jake would have argued but he knew Norm was right.

"Right" Jake turns back to the camera, "I've never been in a lab before and this isn't my field of expertise but I hope I can do something useful for the people here"

"Log off. It's time to meet your boss for the next five years" said Max.

Max leads Jake and Norm through the short corridor to the Link Room which contains a dozen Psionic Link Units as Max called them, which look like coffins crossed over with MRI scanners.

"Grace Augustine is a legend. She's the head of the Avatar Program, and she wrote the book, I mean literally wrote the book on Pandoran botany" said Norm, his tone a mixture of respect and awe.

"That's because she likes plants better than people" said Max in a whisper.

Doctor Grace Augustine sits up in her link, stretching and cracking her neck after a long session. From what Jakes read and seen from her file she's fifty, with a strong face and fiercely intelligent eyes.

"Who's got my goddamn cigarette?" yelled grace.

A technician scurried over to bring it to her, already lit: Around here they jump when Grace barks. Grace stands up and walks over to Max, scowling, as Jake, Norm and Max approach.

"And here she is, Cinderella back from the ball. Grace, I'd like you to meet Norm Spellman and Ja-". Before he can finish, Max is interrupted.

"Norm. I hear good things about you. How's your Na'vi?" said Grace: her intense eyes focused on Norm.

"_May the All Mother smile upon our first meeting"_ responded Norm in a strange language.

'_Glad I took those classes' _thought Jake, _'I can't speak Na'vi but I can well enough understand it'._

Grace nods approvingly, taking a drag on her cigarette, _"Not bad. You sound a little formal"_ responded Grace in Na'vi

"_There is still much to learn"_ answered Norm still in Na'vi.

Jake waits while they ignore him, chattering in fluent Na'vi, it's not polite to interrupt no matter how disrespectful the host may be.

"Uh, Grace, this is Jake S-" said Max yet again not finishing.

Grace turned to Jake, "Yeah, yeah, I know who you are, and I don't need you. I need your brother". She turned to Max, "You know the PhD who trained three years for this mission".

"He's dead. I know it's a big inconvenience to everyone" said Jake angrily.

"How much lab training have you had? Ever run a gas chromatograph?"

"No to the second but I've logged in three-hundred hours of training before coming here" said Jake confidently.

"Any actual lab work at all?" asked Grace.

"High school chemistry. But I ditched" said Jake with a straight face.

"You see? You see? They're pissing on us without even the courtesy of calling it rain" she began to walk away, "I'm going to Selfridge".

"Grace, that's not a good idea" said Max.

Sadly she was already out the door and clomping down the corridor. Max turned to Jake with a pained look.

"Here, tomorrow, oh eight hundred. Try to use big words".

_-Break_

Within Hell's Gate lies the human base central control; It looks like an air-traffic control tower, with lots of screens and bay windows showing the whole complex. Parker Selfridge takes a ball from a newly opened case of golf balls and sets it on the floor. Selfridge is young, charismatic, focused and some would say ruthless.

He assumes the stance and lines up his putt, toward a practice cup across the control room floor. He glances up as Grace strides toward him.

"Parker, I used to think it was benign neglect, but now I see you're intentionally screwing us" said Grace her anger controlled and sharp.

"Grace, You know I enjoy our little talks" said Parker with a smile.

"I need a research assistant, not some jarhead dropout". Grace was reaching her limit with the man. Selfridge merely looks down and hits the ball. Grace kicked the practice cup aside, and the ball rolls past. Selfridge looks at her with a sigh.

"Actually, we got lucky with him" said Parker.

"Lucky? How is this in any way lucky?"

As Selfridge saunters over to retrieve the ball he looked at Grace.

"Well, lucky your guy had a twin brother, and lucky the brother wasn't an oral hygienist or something. Jake Sully is a Specter, Grace: he is part of America's most elite, he is undoubtedly better than Quaritch. I'm assigning him to your team as security escort".

"The last thing I need is another trigger happy asshole out there!" said Grace outraged.

"One he doesn't need a gun to kill anything, his a god damned Specter and two you're supposed to be winning the hearts and minds of the natives. Isn't that the whole point of your little puppet show? If you look like them, if you talk like them, they'll trust you?"

Selfridge walks to his office, behind a glass wall nearby and Grace follows.

"But after how many years? Relations with the indigenous are only getting worse".

"That tends to happen when you use machine guns on them"

On Selfridge's desk is a magnetic base, and hovering in mid-air, in the invisible field, is a lump of metallic rock. Pure Unobtoniun. He grabs it and holds it up between his thumb and forefinger, in front of Grace's eyes.

"This is why we're here. Unobtoniun. Because this little gray rock sells for twenty million a kilo. No other reason. This is what pays for the party. And it's what pays for your science. Comprendo?"

Parker placed the rock back in the magnetic field, tacking one last look at the valuable mineral.

"Those savages are threatening our whole operation. We're on the brink of war and you're supposed to be finding a diplomatic solution. So use what you've got and get me some results". Parker's words were serious and Grace knew them to be true.

_-Break_

A new day has come upon Hell's Gate and to be honest it hasn't made Jake fell any better; today is the fist day he and Norm will link with their avatar's and hopefully nothing will go terribly wrong but terribly well.

Jake glances through a pressurized window; he standing in the Link room ready to do what he came here to do. In the adjoining chamber, the ambient room, Jake see's his avatar lying on a gurney, breathing slowly in Pandoran air. Norms Avatar is on a second gurney. Both are attended by med techs in Exopacks.

Jake turns his attention to Norm who is settling into his Link unit, donning what he was told are biometric sensors with skilled practice.

"How much link time have you logged?" asked Grace as she looked at Norm.

"Five hundred and twenty hours" answered Norm proudly.

Grace turned and looked pointedly at Jake.

"Three-hundred or so" answered Jake, hopping his practice would appease her.

"Good at least you're not doing it with some practice".

Grace opens the hood of Jake's link unit. Cautiously Jake settles within his link unit and places the biometric sensors over himself.

"So you just figured you'd come out here to the most hostile environment known to man, with little to almost no training, and see how it went? What was going through your head?"

Jake meets her eyes with a defiant glare, "For Tommy, this was his dream to try to do something worth while. I know I can't replace him doc but at least I can make sure that guys like Norm come out of this place in one piece".

Grace looked at Jake reading him to see if he was truthful, "That's an admirable goal Jarhead; maybe you Specters aren't like the grunts around here".

Jake began to settle into the warm fluid gel packs lining the link unit. It was to enfolding him. Grace stood over him adjusting his biometric sensors, and then she began to lower the top of the unit.

"Relax and let your mind go blank. That shouldn't be hard for you". Jake couldn't help but grin at her words.

"Kiss my-" Jakes comeback was muffled by the closing of his link unit.

"Initiate link" said Max from the center of the link room.

The link technicians began to touch some controls and read monitors all around them: the room was abuzz with activity. Max looked at a large monitor which displayed a digital 3D display of Jake's brain: regions of activity flow with complex shifting colors.

"That's a gorgeous brain" said Max, "Nice activity".

"Go figure" said Grace as she walked away from Max, "Alright, I'm going in".

"Phase-lock at forty percent", said a technician, "He's in transition".

Max watches a display showing the avatar's nervous system aligning with Jake's: two ghostly networks of light merging together.

"That's it. Find your way home" said Max.

Inside the link unit Jakes eyes move under the lids, like a dreamer in sleep, inside Jakes mind everything looks like a radiant streamer that merges into a pulsing tunnel of light. To Jake this is a moment of sheer euphoria.

Inside the ambient room Jakes eyes open to see two out of focus images: two blurry faces look down at him while being framed by Exopacks.

"He's in" said Max from the within the link room.

"Phase-lock ninety nine percent. The link is stable" said a tech calmly.

Blinking, Jake slowly sits up on the gurney. He looks down at his avatar body, touching his chest with one hand. This body feel's strange but powerful, everything feels sharper and more intense.

"Take it slow, Jake. We need to check your motor control. Try touching your fingertips together-". Jake hears Max's voice over an intercom and tries to focus on what he says.

Jake looks at his legs. He eases them off the gurney his blue feet touch the concrete floor, taking his weight. Jake stands, feeling the strength in his legs. Jake studies his new body and touches his hands together; everything is similar yet so new.

Looking down at the med techs, Jake realizes that they seem the size of children next to his eleven feet tall frame. He sees something like a blue tentacle curl across his arm and he looks behind him in alarm only to look upon his tale. As he turns to see it, the tail sweeps instruments off a table with a crash.

"Easy, Jake, I need you to sit down". Said of the two med techs.

"Sorry, it's kind of weird having a tail" said Jake apologetically.

"Its okay" said Max through the intercom, "Everything reads normal. We'll get you some close and out for some exercise".

_-Break _

Jake blinks in the morning sun; he is still in his avatar. Max and the tech's gave him his clothes which he had specially commissioned by the requisitions office at Specters headquarters at earth: if he was going to be huge and blue he'd do it in style. He looks around the avatar training area it's a living and training area. Nearby, a couple of avatars are playing one-on-one basketball game in front of a non-regulation height basketball net. Others go about their daily activities around the compound.

Jake flexes his legs and takes a few steps and breaks into a run. He's testing his new body: seeing what he can and can't do. He runs into the compound garden, and stops amid neatly tended rows of alien plants. He looks down at the warm soil and the plants around him. Then inhales deeply reveling in the alien smells of earth, plants, and the nearby forest. A man could get used to something this beautiful.

"Hey Specter!"

Jake turns at the familiar voice to see a statuesque female avatar walking toward him. It's Grace and to be honest she is magnificent, with panther thighs, flat muscular stomach and a dazzling smile. She is wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

"Grace?" asked Jake to make sure.

"Well who'd you expect, numbnuts? Think fast!" she tossed him a piece of Pandoran fruit, which he caught easily.

"Motor control is looking good" said Grace.

Jake bites into the fruit, the juice running down his chin, "A guy could get used to this" said Jake with his mouthful.

"Hey, Jake" said Norm with a smile. Norm's outfit is identical to jakes: a tight form fitting black shirt, black pants with various holsters, black combat boots, and a large chest protector.

"Thanks for the clothes Jake" said Norm.

"No prob. If I'm going to be large and blue I'm gonna look good and be practical. The pants are meant to carry guns for protection, the chest plate to stop arrows or bullets from hitting, and the color black to blend in and hide in dark places".

"All this for an outfit" said Grace as she looked at Jake and Norm.

"If you don't plan you plan to fail" said Jake with a shrug.

**-End Chapter Two**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Leaving Base, Meeting the Locals**

The Unobtoniun mine sticks out on the lush world of Pandora. The mine is like a scar on the beautiful world: it is like an open wound that martyrs the beauty of the alien world. The mine is loud and destructive: explosives go off and machines move about gathering the precious rock. The explosives blast apart hundreds of tons of rocks and dirt.

Enormous wheel-loaders are shoveling up ore-rich rock and dropping them it into massive dump trucks.

The bulldozers blades crush everything in its path, reducing trees to kindling. There is a clear cutting operation near the mine, as a road is being cut through the jungle. Remotely operated dozers, three stories tall, rip into the tree-line and crush anything in their path. One of the dozers has rotating slash-cutter, a vicious spinning head, mounted on a hydraulic arm, that hogs through the enormous tree trunks in a spray of wood-shrapnel.

The heavy mining machines are being escorted by ampsuits: human-operated multi-purpose machine meant to amplify the strength and mobility of a soldier or civilian worker while providing protection from military and environmental threats. Colonel Quaritch, on foot, leads a squad of troopers wearing breathing masks and carrying automatic weapons. The colonel's hand is on his side arm, he is alert, and it's as if he is expecting the worst to happen.

A fearsome aerial beast flies down hurtling from above, diving toward Quaritch and his men. The creature's wings are huge at least three meters across. As it shrieks Quaritch and his men get a glimpse of the creature's fangs.

The men are frozen in fear with the exception of Quaritch who aims his side arm and fires off three rapid shots with his massive sidearm, and the creature drops with a shriek. It crashes near them and Quaritch fires two more well placed shoots. The soldiers stare at the creatures teeth in awe but they looks at Quaritch with fear.

"For you pogues, this is a banshee. A small one. See, they like it when I bring fresh meat out here. And this clear cutting really stirs up the hornet's nest. So keep your head on a swivel. If it moves, shoot it. If you're not sure it's moving, shoot it! If it looks like a bunch of flowers you want to take home to Sally Rottencrotch SHOOT IT! What're you gonna do?"

"Shoot it, sir!" respond the troopers with enthusiasm.

"Outstanding. Let's roll" said Quaritch as he began to lead the way yet again.

Quaritch leads his squad into the gloom of the forest, his eyes scanning. Flanking the squad is Lyle Wainfleet driving an ampsuit, its massive feet crashing through the underbrush. As his gaze comes down, he sees something ahead of him on the trail, an intricate totem of woven sticks, bones and feathers hanging across the trail like an orb-weaver's web. He tears it down with the barrel of his rifle, and stomps it into the mud as he moves on.

_-Break_

Jake sits on a wooden bed in a long hut of tropical-style construction, beamed ceiling, open sides covered by screens. Around him the other avatars are bedding down for the night, pulling insect netting around their cots. In one hand, Jake holds the end of his long braided queue of hair. Close on the queue, the ends of the hair writhe slowly with their own life like tendrils of a sea creature.

"That's kinda freaky" said Jake.

Grace switches off the overhead lights, "Lights out amigos. See ya' at dinner".

Jake sits in the cot, listening to the screeches and hoots from the forest. Finally he lies down, closing his eyes and preparing to return to his human body. Jake opens his eyes and blinks, disoriented, as Max opens the upper clamshell of his link unit. In the next chair Grace sits up, yawning and cracking her neck as the scared tech runs to her with a lit cigarette.

"Well today was a good day" said Jake Getting out of his link unit and walking over to Grace.

Grace looks down at her body and let's out a sigh, "Damn. Same old sack a' bones"

"Come on Grace let's get some grub and go to bed, tomorrow is another day".

With that said they exit the link room and prepare fro the next day.

_-Break_

Jake sits with Grace, Norm and the other avatar drivers, while around them miners, troopers and other base personnel wolf down their breakfasts. Grace is engaged in a heated conversation with another scientist. Norm and Max are comparing notes while Jake and some of the others make plans to play a game of basketball later on. So far Jake and the scientist have had a good relation: Jake is their muscle while they are his brain.

A woman is approaching, dressed in her flight suit. She's Trudy Chacon, a former Marine with thousands of flight hours out in the badlands.

"Sully" says Trudy, "Colonel wants to see you in the armor bay".

Jake gives Norm a puzzled glance, Norm only looks back at in confusion. Jake gets up and walks away, led by Trudy. Jake can't see but he can feel Grace scowling as she watches him go.

'_I get a bad felling about this' _thought Jake as he silently followed Trudy.

Jake and Trudy enter the armor bay, passing machines that are under repair. There are the heavily armed scorpions as well as several SA-2 SAMSON work-horses outfitted with doors, guns and rocket pods.

"You guys are packing some heavy ordinance" said Jake with a nod towards the weapons hold.

"Yeah, `cause we're not the only thing flyin' around out there. Or the biggest. I'm gonna need you on a door gun, I'm a man short" said Trudy.

"Yeah, no problem" said Jake with a smile. She extends her fist and he taps it with his: the beginning of a new friendship.

"See ya on the flight-line, zero nine", she points to an open door, "He's down there".

Jake walks along the central gallery of the armor bay, passing rows of ampsuits standing in service racks. Techs are clambering over the `suits, loading ordinance with cranes and lifts. At the end of the row is a makeshift gym. Jake spots Quaritch who is bench-pressing at least over two-hundred pounds.

"This low gravity makes you soft" said Quaritch pushing the last rep, "You get soft, Pandora will shit you out dead with zero warning". Quaritch racks the bar and sits up, sweating but not winded.

"I pulled your record, Sully. Venezuela that was some mean bush. Nothing like this here, though. But you're a Specter: you aren't like these hired guns; you're the best there is. But why are you coming out here". Quaritch's eyes are sizing Jake up: a silent battle of will's goes on between the two.

"I figured this is just another hellhole" said Jake.

Quaritch chuckles appreciatively, stands and claps Jake on the shoulder, "Aint that the truth".

The chief mechanic yells from the nearest ampsuit; Jake notices that it is specially modified, that amp is undoubtedly Quaritch's. Its paint heavily modified servos and weapons just scream death and murder.

"That servo's in, Colonel, if you want to try it" said the head mechanic as he stood on a ramp next to Quaritch's ampsuit. Quaritch crosses to the `suit, with Jake following.

"I was in First Recon a few years ahead of you. More than a few. Two tours in Nigeria, not a scratch. I come out here and-" he points to his scarred face, "They could fix this if I rotated back. But you know what? I kinda like it. Reminds me every day what's out there. Besides, I can't leave", he looks out, as if he can see through the wall to the tree-line, "This is my war, here".

Quaritch climbs the ampsuit and reaches into the cockpit, throwing some switches. The ampsuits gas-turbine spools up with a rising whine.

"The avatar program is a joke – bunch a limp dick scientists. But we have a unique opportunity here, you a Specter Marine in an avatar body could get me the inlet I need, on the ground, right in the hostiles' camp".

Quaritch reaches in and operates the controls, flexing one huge hand. He nods to the waiting mechanic.

"Looks good" Quaritch turns to Jake, "I need you to learn about these savages, gain their trust. Find out how I can force their cooperation, or hit `em hard if they don't. Maybe you can keep some of my boys from going home in body bags".

Jake shakes his head, "Things don't work like that with me Colonel, I'll scout them out and learn what I can and we act if and when I think they are a threat to this base. I was trained to resolve situations with little to no blood shed: that's how I work".

"Fair enough Sully" said Quaritch, "You'll see that these natives are savages and my way of thinking isn't as bad. On paper. You walk like one of her science pukes, you quack like one, but you report to me. Can you do that for me?"

"I'll come to you if it's necessary Colonel but if I meet the locals I'm pretty sure I can end any conflict before we break out into full out war". Jakes glare is full of determination and his mind is made up.

Quaritch nods, he balances the two ton machine on one foot while sweeping the arms in strong, graceful arcs. Jake realizes he is doing a Wu-Shoo Kata. A flawless display of strength and control. He's impressive, and Jake is impressed. Quaritch is the kind of man he might respect after all Quaritch is focused, hard, and determined but sometimes determination gives way to foolishness.

"Look, son, I take care of my own. If you think you can save me the bullets and men than fix relations with the natives but if you can't you give me what I need".

He raises the ampsuits hand, and slams the canopy shut like the visor of a helmet. Jake watches Quaritch walk past, only the heavy steps of his suit are heard.

_-Break_

Jake walks into the link room; his mind is a buzz with thoughts and his conversation with Quaritch. Jake is no fool if it were up to the colonel he'd kill anything that was 'alien' about a normal person, can you picture what he'd do to the natives if given the information he wants.

Grace is on the move, gulping coffee, in a hurry to get their first sortie started. She hands a clipboard to Max who is trying to keep up with her.

"Start calibrating. We're on the flight line in ten minutes" said Grace.

Max nods and jogs ahead toward the link room. Jake and Norm fall in with Grace as they enter the lab to get to the link room.

"What did Attila want?" asked Grace while glaring at Jake.

"I'll tell you on the sortie"

Grace nod's understanding that he might want to tell her when away from anywhere were Quaritch might find out.

"Just remember you're driving an avatar, now" said Grace, "That means you're in my world, got it?"

"Got it" said Jake with a smile. Grace turns and enters the link room. Grace crosses to the controls of Jake's link unit. As the others catch up.

"That son of a bitch has screwed up this program enough. All this-" she indicates to everything in the link room, "-exists so we can go out there and build a bridge of trust to these people, who could teach us so much. But thanks to Quaritch and his thugs the Na'vi won't even talk to us anymore"

"Then how's this supposed to work? We can't make peace if we can't even speak to one another" said Jake confused.

"We have a new face" said Grace while turning to Norm and looking back at Jake, "Norm you're fluent, you've studied the culture. You're non-threatening. The ones we know best - the Omaticaya clan –may give you a chance. Maybe you can get them back to the table before things go bad. And you Jarhead can gain the respect of their warriors".

"This is failing as a pep talk" said Norm.

"Don't worry Norm I've got you covered" said Jake trying to put his new friends fears at bay, "How do we contact them?"

"We don't. They contact us. If they see us taking our samples, treating the forest with respect" she looks pointedly to Jake, "Not trampling everything in sight they may reach out to us".

"Or they may not talk to us and try to kill us" said Jake as he laid back in his link unit.

"Just keep your mouth shut and let Norm do the talking. You jump to action when a fight breaks out, you stop one of them and they might be impressed enough to actually respect you".

Grace then slammed Norm's link unit shut followed quickly by Jake's.

After linking with their avatars Jake, Grace, and Norm prepared for their sortie. Jack and Norm wore their black uniforms while Grace dressed comfortably as she put it. The three meet with Trudy and Quaritch's right hand man Wainfleet. The group immediately took off into the wilds of Pandora.

_-Break _

Flying over a carpet of rainforest, past sheer cliffs and cloud-wreathed mesas. Trudy's Samson is chasing its shadow across the treetops. Though it is as big as a Blackhawk, it is tiny and out of place in the vast primeval landscape. Standing at the open side doors of the Samson is Trooper Wainfleet, in Exopack and body armor, he is leaning on his door gun, scanning for aerial predators.

In his avatar Jake, Grace, and Norm watch the forest unrolling beneath them, the wind blasting their clothes. Jake mans the other door gun, his feet propped on the skids. Norm looks at Jake; noticing the two large modified pistols tucked away safely in his pants holsters and a few knives strapped to his thigh.

Trudy is flying the Sampson from a pressurized cockpit. She banks to follow a shallow river.

"Sturmbeest herd, one o'clock" says Trudy's voice from the intercom.

Norm grins and points, excitedly. Jake looks in time to see a herd of Sturmbeest massive six-legged creatures reminiscent of buffalo, they were thundering across the river.

"Looks like a bull, six cows and some juveniles" said Grace.

"The bull has the red on the dorsal armor?" asked Norm. Grace nods approvingly.

Out of nowhere Hundreds of purple winged creatures take flight from a lake, startled by the Samson. They skim the water above their own reflections.

"Tetrapterons" said Norm as he looked at Jake.

The Samson flies over a waterfall hundreds of feet high. Trudy banks hard rolling in on the gorge below. Wainfleet, Jake, and Trudy whoop while Norm looks like he's about to puke and Grace looks at the lot of them with a disapproving nod.

"Nice job Chacon!" says Wainfleet.

Trudy landed in a small meadow among the towering trees. The fern-like "grass" was beaten down in waves by the rotor-wash as the Samson settled onto the ground. Jake pulls the massive door gun off its mount and hefts it like an assault rifle. He and Wainfleet leap out to secure the landing zone, scanning the tree line warily, weapons aimed.

Grace jogs forward to the cockpit, motioning Trudy to shut down. Trudy kills the Samson's turbines. Grace, towering over Wainfleet, motions him to hang back.

"Stay with the ship" she then looks at Jake, "One idiot with a gun's enough".

"Whatever you say, Doc" responded Wainfleet.

Jake takes point as they enter the jungle; it's his job to make sure Grace and Norm are safe no matter what the cost. The forest engulfs Jake, Grace and Norm in a cyan gloom. The shadows are alive with the constant sounds of unseen alien wildlife.

As Jake moves through the foliage, hyper-alert and looking around like the trained soldier he is. A monkey-like creature leaps from limb to limb overhead, flashing through the sunlight streaming down in shafts. A plant sways, its tendrils reaching toward Jake as he passes. Jake quickly realizes that this forest is more alive than any on Earth, with plants that react and move like animals. Jake white-knuckles his rifle as if every shadow conceals razor-fanged death.

"Relax, Specter. You're making me nervous" said Grace.

She pushes ahead of him on the trail, forcing him to lower his muzzle as he follows her. Grace moves nimbly on the path, seemingly unconcerned.

The three moves between the huge trees, tiny as ants. The trail has gotten steeper, the going tougher. They enter a clearing with a building at the center of it. It is covered with vines and strange moss as the forest claims the house as its own.

"How will they know we're here?" asked Norm.

"I'm sure they're watching us right now" answered Grace.

Norm gulps. Jake looks behind him as they approach the building, feeling unseen eyes. This is the remnants of Grace's school before Quaritch decided to close it down. Jake steps into the building and steps among dried leaves and a few moldering children's books. Floorboards creak.

"The kids were so bright, so eager to learn... they picked up English faster than I could teach it to them" said Grace sadly.

Jake explores the room while Grace and Norm are selecting instruments from storage cases on a wooden table.

"Bring the soil probe right there, yellow case". Jake can hear the Sadness in Grace's voice, it's almost heart shattering.

Jake looks up at a rustling among the dark rafters. Roosting creatures eye him warily, fluttering their wings.

Grace picks up a moldering copy of "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss from the floor and puts it back on a shelf.

"The stingbats knock them off. I guess I always hope somebody will come back and read them". Her voice is wistful.

"Why don't they come back?" questioned Norm

"The Na'vi learned as much about us as they needed to know"

Jake sees something, and approaches the blackboard and reaches out to touch a pattern of holes blasted into the slate. Unmistakably bullet holes.

'_Quaritch's doing no doubt' _thought Jake.

"What happened here?" asked Jake his voice angry.

"Are you going to help with this gear? We've got a lot to do" snapped Grace refusing to look at him. Instead she turns away. Jake watches her as he jams equipment into his pack. The three exited the ancient school and went deeper into the forest to gather samples. As they settled into a sight to get samples Jake took out a mirror pretending to look at his face while in reality he looked at the Na'vi that has been following them since they entered the forest.

'_A normal marine wouldn't notice him' _thought Jake as he looked at the mirror and their pursuer, _'then again I'm not a normal marine'._

Grace's blue hands are gently brushing away soil, exposing a tangle of root tendrils. Norm is right next to her, he is eager to learn from Grace.

"See, right here where the roots of the two trees interact" said Grace.

Grace and Norm are crouched among enormous entangled roots. Grace takes a tiny sample using a needle-like probe. Norm uses a digital viewing tool to scan the roots.

Jake is keeping a close eye on Grace and Norm: watching to see if anything around them is a possible danger. He is perfectly aware of there follower who is carefully watching them.

'_I better go talk this guy first' _thought Jake, "Norm, Grace stay here we got company and it's not the friendly kind".

"Specter I told yo-". Before Grace finished Jake stops her and points up, the shine of an arrow is seen in the canopy.

"Stay". With that said Jake goes ahead of the group

_-Break_

Jake leaves the Norm and Grace knowing his follower will come after him: after all he is the easier target to pick off. He comes to a small glaive filled with shoulder-high spiral plants which Norm once called Helicoradians. Jake stands waiting for his follower to make a move.

He hears a sound and see's the Helicoradians suck down into a tube in the ground so quickly it seems to simply vanish. A chain reaction begins and the whole colony pulls down into the ground, revealing hammerhead Titanothere. Like a six-legged rhinoceros, but twice that size. Its massive, low-slung head has projections of bone giving it the look of a hammerhead shark.

"Great just great" said Jake as he pointed his rifle at the creature.

Grace ran through a bush followed by Norm.

"Don't shoot. You'll piss it off" said Grace.

The bull hammerhead bellows and lowers its 3 meter wide sledgehammer of a skull.

"I told you to stay out and it's already pissed off!" responded Jake.

"Just don't shoot Jake, that armor's too thick. Trust me".

Jake starts to back away. The hammerhead bellows again, pawing the earth.

It's a territorial threat display. Do not run, or he'll charge.

"I'm putting my faith in you Grace, don't let me down" said Jake as he stepped forward towards the Titanothere.

"Hold your ground!" yelled Grace.

The hammerhead slashed its head sideways, splintering saplings. It bellows again, lowers its head and charges.

Jake stands his ground ready to roll back and leap away: thank you Specter training, the gift that keeps on giving. Before Jake can react to the massive beast it stops abruptly.

"That's not good" said Jake

Jake turned his head to look at a Thanator. The most awesome land predator the universe has ever conceived: this creature is a natural born hunter and the most vicious animal any living creature can encounter. If it is described once say it looks like a black six-limbed panther from Hell, with an armored

head and massive distensible jaws.

Jakes watches is shock as the three ton creature jumped over him, landing between him and the hammerhead. The ground shakes because of the Thanator's force. The Thanator emits an earsplitting roar, enraged that the hammerhead got away. It twists on itself, turning to face Jake, and bares its fangs with a lethal hiss.

"RUN! GRACE RUN!" yelled Jake as he began to run.

The Thanator leaped after him and began to chase. Jake launched himself between two large trunks, forcing the beast to claw its way around to the side while Jake sprinted up, around, and over a tangle of roots. Jake feels claws slash the air behind him, as the trunk explodes do to the Thanator's attack.

Jake wills himself forward with unnatural focus and adrenalin. With rippling muscle the beast is airborne again, blacking out the sun as Jake dives under a massive root system. The Thanator slashes at the roots as kindling rains around Jake as the beast tears into the root-trunks above him. Claws slash down next to him as he rolls and crawls away from the massive predator.

Glistening jaws smash and snap against the trunks of the trees Jake is hiding in, sending chunks of wood flying. Its spittle sprays across Jake, jaws inches away as he rolls onto his back, and fires his rifle point blank at the Thanator but the rifle is snatched out of his hands. The beast screeches an ungodly wail of pain and rage and rips the entire truck away in a rage. Jake scrambles to escape but powerful jaws lunge downward snapping shut and capturing Jake.

The creature rips Jake out of the tree with a good grip on his backpack, shaking him like a junkyard dog with a rabbit, only It has him by the backpack: Jake unlatches it and flies free as the Thanator crushes the pack with its teeth. Giving Jake a moment to sprint away, but with a hideous bellow the Thanator chases after him, splintering trees in its path.

Jake runs in a blur, two decades of training and battles guiding him to escape. He is dodging between trunks as a glistening black tornado shreds the forest behind him and Jake then sees water ahead. Without any hesitation Jake dives of the cliff the Thanator's jaws snap shut inches behind him as he flies

out into open space and splashes down into a swiftly moving river.

The Thanator leaps down after him, pursuing from rock to rock, its claws swiping like a grizzly fishing for salmon. Jake ducks under the water as black claws slash past his face amid turbulent bubbles. A waterfall lays ahead. Jake is swept over the falls just as he'd hoped, with the Thanator swiping at him from a rock, just missing as Jake disappears down the throat of the thundering waterfall.

Jake's head bursts through the surface, and he gasps for breath he is carried along by the current, but manages to grab the limb of a fallen tree. He pulls himself up, and just lies there gasping on the trunk. Above him, on the cliff, the Thanator bellows, a roar which echoes across the jungle.

"Grace owes me a backpack" said Jake to himself as he got up and looked around.

_-Break_

Jake, wet and bruised, crouches under a screen of giant leaves. Luckily he has his two pistols, and enough ammunition to last him a week, his throwing knives and hunting knives also made it with him. If need be he'll survive of the plants that he was taught are safe to eat and his guns and knives will keep him safe and he has a compass to keep him safe.

Jake is walking through the forest treetops, carrying a make shift spear. He made the spear with a knife and was smart enough to know that most land predators won't reach him up here. The trees here are a hundred meters high, blocking out the sky. A few pencil beams of sunlight filter down into the cyan gloom. As Jake climbs down the trees in search of food he pulls out his mirror from earlier; his follower is back on his trail.

'_So you're a girl' _thought Jake as he looked into the mirror.

Jake passed under a tree limb he looked at his 'Invisible' follower through his mirror draped on the limb of a tree like a leopard, a beautiful Na'vi girl is watching only her eyes moving. She is lithe as a cat, with a long neck, muscular shoulders, and a very exposed body. She is devastatingly beautiful, for a girl with a tail.

Jake passes less than two meters beneath her making sure to make her believe he is still oblivious.

She rises soundlessly. In one fluid, sinuous movement she places an arrow to her bow and draws, aiming right at Jake. She is utterly silent as she prepares to let go of the arrow but before she can fire she is blinded by a flash; the girl blinks and see's Jake holding his mirror up to a small strand of sunlight.

'_That wont work girly' _thought Jake, _'I survived having my spine torn apart, I can definetly survive you and anything else'._

While Jake and the Na'vi girl prepare to play a game of cat and mouse Grace and Norm peer down into the shadowed forest as Trudy banks in a search pattern.

"I'm going to have to call it, guys. We're not allowed to run night ops. Colonel's orders" said Trudy sadly.

Grace looks to the west; the sun is setting behind the trees.

"Shit" said Grace.

"Sorry, Doc. He's just gonna have to hang on `till morning" said Trudy.

"He's not going to make it till morning" said Grace sadly.

Grace stares into the dark forest as the Samson banks hard, thundering away toward the setting sun.

_-Break_

Night has already fallen and Jake looks up to catch a glimpse of Polyphemus. The giant planet rises over the black trees. As Jake searches for a tree to sleep in he sees shapes moving with liquid grace in the night shadows behind him. He is being stalked by a pack of viper wolves.

Jake catches only glimpses of a glint of eyes, a slinking black movement then nothing. Darkness.

Jake reaches into his pockets and pulls out a tube; a glow stick, he snaps the top of and it begins to glow a light orange. Behind him are several pairs of reflective green eyes. Another pair flanking him beside the trail. Black-on-black shapes which seem to flow like liquid. He looks up sees one cross a limb overhead. Another on his opposite flank.

Then a hideous sound fills the night air, like a hyena's psychotic laugh.

'_Pack hunters' _thought Jake, _'They kill in mass numbers and only give up when out numbered or outclassed. I cant out number them but I can outclass them'._

The viperwolves can run like a dog and climb like a monkey. They are hunting Jake from the ground and the trees. Jake runs calmly and controlled he knows these grunts aren't as lethal as the Thanator he outran. He reaches a steep banked stream and without thinking runs across it on a horizontal trunk and stops on the log.

The glow stick is illuminating green eyes cutting ahead of him across the trail. The viperwolves have him encircled. There psychotic barks are becoming more intense as they signal each other, getting excited. One makes a run at Jake angling on his legs from behind but Jake whirls around, slapping the viperwolf with his spear in the face. It yips and goes past, but another moves in and Jake slaps that one to and it snarls, retreating, baring its fangs.

Now half a dozen are circling him in the open, and he sees what he's up against. The viperwolves are six-limbed with shiny skin, their paws leathery black claws. Intelligent eyes. Glistening black teeth in dead white gums.

Jake feels a rush of adrenaline it goes through him like a lightning bolt and the fear is gone. He charges at them and one by one he throws the viperwolves into tress while making sure none bit him. Most were whimpering in fear: they'd realized he isn't easy prey, only one in left with the intent to attack.

'_The alpha male' _thought Jake with a smile.

"I don't have all goddamn night! Come on! Come on!" said Jake goading the creature to attack.

With snarls and a blur of motion they all attack one last time. Jake cracks the spear down on one, and then spins as another leaps at him and he simply caught that viperwolf in his large hand: quickly throwing it onto another incoming attacker. A viper wolf lunges, trying to sink its teeth into his arm.

Jake sprints, trying to escape, but a snarling viperwolf leaps, grabbing him by the ankle with its fore-hand. Jake tears away, and flings the viperwolf onto another one.

'_Persistent aren't you guys' _thought Jake getting angry.

Three viper wolves charge at once, the nearest leaps at his throatbut Jake pushes it away with his spear asan arrow narrowly missed the viperwolves chest and his hand.The female Na'vi from earlier emerges from the trees, another arrow drawand ready to fire. The wolves are distracted by her appearance and Jake quickly hits the alpha wolf over its head and holds it place with his spear.

The female Na'vi jumps right over Jake, and cracks her bow down on the skull of a circling wolf. The Alpha viperwolf howls in pain as Jake pushes his knee into its back: it's whimpering gets the attention of the viperwolves and the Na'vi. The wolves slink and circle, yelping as the alpha viperwolf whimpers under Jake.

"GO, RUN" yells Jake as he lets go of the alpha who runs with its tale between its legs. The other viper wolves look at Jake and finally they break and run. They bound away through the foliage after their alpha.

Jake looks at the Na'vi her tail lashes as she scans the forest, listening to the fading yelps of the wolves. Satisfied the attack is over, she turns. She regards him coldly for a second, then walks past him picks up his glow stick and throws it in the water.

"Wait" said Jake.

Jake blinks around at the darkness, realizing he can still see. In fact, with the light from the glow stick gone, the forest is transformed. The jungle has come alive with bioluminescence spots and patterns, ghosts and galaxies of blue-green light. Jake scrambles to recover his spear.

The Na'vi walks over to the edge of the clearing and Jake notices something crying. It's a viperwolf; its cries are both painful and pitiful. It paws the air, trying to raise its head. She pulls her knife from its

chest.

"_Forgive me, my brother" _says the girl in Na'vi.

She is about to cut its throat until Jake stops her, Jake looks at the creature and realizes part of his spear and splinters are jammed in its side. Jake pulls out five splinters from its side and reaches into his pocket: he opens a small bottle and pours a liquid on the would who yelps in pain but quickly stands up and runs away.

"Look, um, I know you probably don't understand this. But - thanks. Thank you. I owe you. And next time try to see if you can fix the damn thing before killing it".

She rises and walks away without looking at Jake.

"I would have been screwed if you hadn't come along-" Jake rushes to keep up with her, "Hey, wait. Wait! Where you goin'? He crashes through some plants, catching up to her.

"Slow down a second will you. I just want to thank you for the help". He makes the mistake of grasping her shoulder

She tried to hit him upside the head with her bow in a fierce backhand swing but he ducked. He looks up to see a fury standing over him. A Fury who speaks English - accented, halting, angry English.

"Don't thank! You don't need to thank You don't need help".

"Okay, I'm sorry. Whatever I did - I'm sorry" said Jake holding his hands up apologetically.

She gestures to the blood of the viper wolves, "All this is your fault! They could die".

"They attacked me. How am I the bad guy here?"

She silences him with the tip of her bow at his throat.

"Your fault! You are like ghost, making no noise, scarring them and walking in shadow like Palulukan. You should not come here, all of you! You only come and make problems. Only".

"Okay, fine, I hurt your little forest friends but why try to help me, where is the thinking in it".

She is looking away. Finally, reluctantly, her eyes meet his for the first time: a riveting gaze with those big gold orbs.

"Why save you?" she ask cautiously.

"Yes, why save me?" he asked his eyes captivated by hers.

"You have a strong heart. No fear, try to scare them not kill them" she leans closer, "But stupid! Ignorant like child". She turns away, stalking off, but Jake goes after her.

Jake moves silently behind her, realizing suddenly that he is far above the forest floor. They are moving through a glowing phantasmagorical forest.

"If I'm so ignorant, maybe you should teach me" said Jake, "We have teachers to strip us of our ignorance is what one of my instructors use to say"

"Sky people can not learn. You do not See" she leaps to another elevated root. Jake follows he knows he can tract her just as easily as he spotted her earlier today.

"If I can't see how do you explain when I blinded you from shooting me with an arrow, or when I first spotted yo following me and my group".

She turns to him with a shocked expression.

"Then teach me to "see", I'd like to learn, maybe we can better understand each other".

She stops and he almost runs into her.

"No one can teach you to See".

Then she turns and trots on.

They run across the elevated root of an enormous tree, a horizontal trunk big as an oak. They cross a deep gorge with a waterfall shimmering silver in the Polyphemus-light. Vines hang down a hundred

feet into the gorge and among them swoop stingbats and other night flyers.

"Hey Look, I think we just got off on the wrong foot and-" Jake looks down, suddenly aware of the height, "you just have to get to know me. I'm Jake. Jake Sully".

A vine catches his spear and spins him off balance; he drops the spear and quickly regains his balance.

"Whooaaa that's a big drop" said Jake with a laugh.

The girl grabs him with one hand, gripping his bicep. He watches the spear cartwheel down to splash in the river. She pulls him along all while shouting at him in English and Na'vi.

"I need your help, no my friends Grace and Norm need it" said Jake pleadingly.

"You should not be here" said the girl.

"So take me with you" he replies stubbornly.

"No. You go back" she says sharply.

The look at each other neither moving from their spot then several woodsprites float down through the trees. They descend silently towards Jake and the Na'vi. Sensing a presence the two look up, Jake looks up to see the woodsprites float right towards him. They dance gently around his shoulders and head. The Na'vi looks at him amazed.

"What?" asked Jake confused.

More woodsprites gather around him several already on top of him.

Jake holds still, not knowing what to do, he spreads his arms and more sprites come, landing all over his arms, hands, and body.

"What are they?"

She is reacting with a mixture of wonder and dread, usually not a good sign.

"Atokirina'. Seeds of the Great Tree, very pure spirits" she whispers.

Jake now a pulsing, glowing, fluttering mass of light moves one hand slowly, not wanting to break the spell. He studies one of the sprites dancing on his palm until the woodsprites whirl up and away, scattering into the darkness.

"What was that all about?"

She seems shaken. She seizes his hand and pulls him after her, "Come!"

**-End Chapter**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Jake the Specter Warrior of the Marine clan

Jake follows the Na'vi female quickly and efficiently all while gazing around him in wonder. He touches the leaves as he passes, watching the bioluminescence shiver through them. This is an amazing experience, never has he seen such a world of natural beauty.

Jake looks down as they cross a bed of purple moss which reacts to the pressure of their footsteps. Rings of green light, like ripples on a pond, expanding outward from each footfall. He sees exploding rings of light where his feet touch down it is dream-like and surreal beauty.

She begins to run over a large root, across a mirror-like pool at the base of a waterfall; he follows, running along a raised root-trunk.

"What's your name?" asked Jake.

Jake listens to hear her response but instead he hears something coming at him; he snaps to look as a bolo flies at him, spinning end for end and about to tangle around his legs. He topples off the root and crashes into the foliage below, he pulls a knife from his pants and cuts himself free quickly jumping to his feet and scanning the area for danger.

Out of the shadows come out several Na'vi thundering toward him. They are riding direhorses, six-legged, armor-skinned alien Clydesdales.

Jake is surrounded hunting knife in one hand and his body tense waiting to see what his attackers will do. He sees that the riders' queues are connected to the horses' long moth-like antennae, a neural-link with which they can command the horse, leaving hands free for weapons. The riders aim bows and spears at Jake as they approach. Jake turns to see Na'vi hunters melt out of the shadows, weapons aimed at him.

The girl drops to the ground next to Jake and confronts the lead rider. She shouts sharply in Na'vi.

"_Tsu'tey, what are you doing? He is my captive!" _yelled the girl.

Jake looks at Tsu'tey who is young and powerfully built, with sculpted features and a proud jaw line, piercing eyes. Tsu'tey swings off his mount with fluid grace.

"_These demons are forbidden here. I will kill this one as a lesson to the others!" _said Tsu'tey angrily.

Tsu'tey draws his bow but the girl leaps between him and Jake a confrontation: warrior to warrior.

"_I'm Jake no demon" _said Jake in broken Na'vi drawing the attention of all the Na'vi. The girl looks at him shocked.

"_You speak our language?" _asked the girl quietly.

"I understand you all but I have trouble speaking, my friend Norm hasn't finished my lessons" said Jake with a smile.

"_Enough!" _yelled Tsu'tey, _"He dies"._

"_Stop! There has been a sign. This is a matter for the Tsahik"_, said the girl.

Tsu'tey clenches his jaw with frustration; he was obviously frustrated with her as much as with the situation. He turns and angrily remounts his direhorse, barking a command to the hunters.

"_Bring him" _ordered Tsu'tey.

They try to grab Jake but he uses his knife to cut the bow of one of hunters, the others point there arrows at him. Encircled by spears and bows, he stands his ground, "I can walk need to grab and shove". Jake shoves forward along the trail shocking the hunters and Tsu'tey.

Jake follows the girl and he sees he is entering the village, which is sheltered inside one of the great trees. The tree is at least two-hundred and fifty meters tall, with a trunk four times the diameter of the largest Sequoia, and a base of massive mangrove-pillars. Tsu'tey rides inside the columns at the base of massive tree, shouting an ululating, a warning. Jake is force marched through the pillars into an open central area. The villagers gather to see the arriving hunt party. Jake studies the Na'vi people of the tribe: mothers with babies, old women, and young hunters.

They gawk at him their expressions ranging from curiosity to outright hostility. He can't help but smile at the huge eyes of the children who follow him. Jake is amazed at the size of the Na'vi village. By the light of cooking fires he can see up into a vast cylindrical gallery and the only way to describe it is a living cathedral.

Clear membranes, Sturmbeest bladders, filled with fluttering bio-luminescent insects, act as area lighting. The central space is dominated by the skull of some enormous creature, mounted with much embellishment on a totem. Standing in front of this, awaiting their approach, is an aged Na'vi man and woman.

'_Eytukan, clan leader' _thought Jake.

Eytukan has deeply chiseled features and a long chest mantle of Thanator claws. His stern features are clouded by anger.

"_Why do you bring this creature here?" _asked the man.

"_I was going to kill him, but there was a sign from Eywa". _He growls at her as he responds, pointing at Jake.

"_I have said no dreamwalker will come here, to offend our home! His alien smell fills my nose"._

The girl answers in a respectful but not submissive tone, _"Father, many Atokirina came to this alien"._

"Is this about the seeds, they came to me I didn't try to hurt them or anything like that".

"_My father is deciding whether to kill you" _said the girl seriously.

"Your father!" said Jake while turning to the clan leader, "good to meet you, sir".

Jake didn't step forward he doesn't know how these people will react to him.

A commanding female voice echoes through the chamber, _"Step back!",_ Everybody looks up.

Another female stands on the second level, looking down. She is a severe woman somewhere in the later stages of her life. Her bearing is haughty, her expression friendly as a hanging-judge. Her outfit is elaborate, denoting her rank as someone of importance.

'_Clan Matriarch' _thought Jake.

"_I will look at this alien" _said the older Na'vi woman. There is an expectant hush as she descends the helical core of the massive 'hometree', a kind of natural spiral staircase.

"_That is Mother. She is Tsahik, the one who interprets the will of Eywa" _says the girl next to Jake.

"Eywa, the all mother right?" asked Jake. She nodded in response. The girl kneels before the approaching woman; she kneels as an acolyte kneels before a master. The villagers stare silently as the Matriarch circles slowly around Jake, examining his tail and the end of his queue.

"What are you called?" asked the older woman with a heavy accent in english.

"Jake Sully and you".

She produces a long thorn between her fingertips. With a flourish she tries to strike his chest. Jake grabs her hand and his knife is instantly at her throat. Hunters draw their weapons while many gasp out in surprise at his actions.

"Not polite to attack your guest".

She is unfazed by his actions, "Calm yourself it is a test".

Jake moves his knife but is still cautious, "When I take a test it usually involves a pen and paper".

She doesn't respond and simply pokes his chest with the thorn, Jake doesn't flinch, red blood wells up and she rubs some between her fingertips. She tastes it.

"Why did you come to us?" she asked.

"I came to learn for my brother and my new friends" said Jake.

"We have tried to teach other Sky People. It is hard to fill a cup which is already full" said the woman.

"My cup is empty, trust me. Just ask Doctor Augustine. I'm no scientist" said Jake with a smile.

"What are you?" ask the woman.

"I'm a Specter, a warrior. I'm the elite of the Marine clan", _'I hope they buy that' _thought Jake calmly.

"_A warrior! I could kill him easily!" _yelled Tsu'tey.

Jake smiled without letting anyone notice he pulls a hidden throwing knife from his belt. In a flash Jakes arm whips past the woman in front of him and the throwing blade leaves his hand: the blade hits the bow in Tsu'tey's hand and pins it a section of the tree.

"I can beat you no matter what" said Jake while glaring at Tsu'tey. The two glare at each other, both warriors sizing each other up.

"_No! This is the first warrior dreamwalker we have seen. We need to learn more about him" _said Eytukan seriously.

"_Daughter. You will teach him our way, to speak and walk as we do" _said the woman calmly. The girl looked shocked, then angry.

"_Why me? That's not fair! I only-"_

"_It is decided!"_

The girl anger subsided and turned to glare at Jake.

"My daughter will teach you our ways. Learn well, Jakesully. We will see if your insanity can be cured", she turns to her daughter, her expression stern; _"He is your responsibility"._

The girl nods accepting, but she's not a happy. She grabs Jake's arm and pulls him roughly away.

"So what's next teacher" said Jake as he followed.

"No more speaking".

_-Break_

The girl is leading Jake up the second level of the tree. He is now wearing only his pants: he will learn but he won't get rid of a place to store his weapons. The entire clan is squatting at dinner in a huge circle. They stop talking and turn to gaze at Jake as he enters the circle.

'_Nothing like meeting new people' _thought Jake.

She crosses the circle to the cook pit and returns with several large leaves heaped with food. She kneels next to Jake, placing the food in front of him almost defiantly. Jake sits and can't but smile at her stubborn resentment.

"You never told me your name" he said quietly.

"_Neytiri te Ckaha Mo'at'ite" _said Neytiri.

"Okay, again, a whole lot slower please".

"Neytiri. Nay-TEE-ree" she says slowly.

Jake knows she's baiting him he smiles in response, "Nay-TEE-ree. That's nice. Nay-TEE-ree".

Across the circle Tsu'tey, Eytukan, and Mo'at the matriarch sit together, glancing up occasionally from their food to the stranger.

"_These aliens try to look like the people, but they can't" _said Tsu'tey.

"_He seems different to me. And he is a strange warrior; it is as blades fly from him"_

Neytiri motions for Jake to take portions from the serving leaves onto his own leaf.

"Your mom is watching me, I can tell, and so is Tsu'tey"

Mo'at is watching Jake and Neytiri and leans over to Eytukan, _"Neytiri will test this "warrior." Hey may learn nothing but we will learn much"_

"_You speak truth. We must understand these Sky People if we are to drive them out" _said Eytukan.

Jake munches on a white shrimp-like creature all the while looking at his three on lookers.

"These are good. What are they?" asked Jake.

"Teylu. You call beetle larvae" said Neytiri

Jake looks at his serving and shrugs it off, "Better than some rations I've had in the past", She heaps some more onto his leaf and Jake meets her eyes, takes a handful, and starts eating, "They taste like shrimp but more tangy".

Tsu'tey is warily eyeing Jake from across the circle, _"I say she will kill him"._

Dinner goes by quietly and every moves higher into hometree. The sleeping level from what Jake can tell, he watches families nesting in groups on woven hammocks the size of trampolines. The hunters sleep along spokes joining the inner trunk to the tree's outer shell. Jake lies awake in a hammock, people rustling in the darkness around him. Neytiri is nearby, curled up like a little girl. She stares at him for a moment, and then closes her eyes.

Jake watches the glowing bugs fluttering inside a night-light, a pulse of life energy. A strange peace spreads through him. He closes his eyes and prepares to wake up in his link unit

_-Break_

When Jake wakes up he sees Grace over him in the Link unit, slapping him, as Max and Norm

hover.

"Come on back, kid, that's it" said Grace

"Wha? Oh" said Jake he looks around, blinking. Reality crashing in.

"Damn, you were dug in like a tick" said Grace as she helps him sit up "Is the avatar safe? Are you in one peace?"

Jake has a huge grin, "Yeah, Doc and you are not going to believe where I am"

_-Break_

Jake sits eating breakfast with Grace, Norm, Max and the other drivers who were leaning forward, hanging on Grace's re-telling of the tale.

"So the kid's out there one night and he's got the Queen herself offering him the spare room and the car keys. Unbelievable" said Grace.

"It's not something you can teach Grace, its called charm, something Norm and me have". Some of the other scientists clap Jake on the shoulders in congratulation.

"That's awesome, Jake" said Max.

Norm sat next to Jake, "Jake this is great, with you we can hopefully gain their trust".

Grace turned to Jake, "For reasons I cannot fathom, the Omaticaya have chosen you. God help us all".

Jake grins at her and turns to the others retelling them of his first night amongst the Na'vi people.

"Marine clan?" said Max skeptically, "And that worked?"

"Yeah. They want to study me. See if I can learn to be one of them" said Jake with a shrug, "I'll learn to fight but I'll talk to the big guy to let Norm stay: he's the brain I'm the brawn".

"That's how you seize a bad situation and turn it into something good" said Grace, "I just hope this turns out well".

"Look, Jake established a connection with the people and that's good" said Norm, "We can learn so much about them and the planet".

"One problem" said Jake, "Their village is sitting right over the richest Unobtoniun deposit for a hundred clicks in any direction. Which sucks for them because Quaritch and Selfridge want it real bad and their willing to do anything for it".

"How do you know about that?" questioned Grace while glaring at Jake.

"I broke into Parker's office" said Jake, his simple response shocked everyone.

"That doesn't matter" said Max, "What are we going to do about those two?"

"Killing the indigenous looks bad" said Jake, "I'm no business man but there's one thing shareholders hate more than bad press and that's a bad quarterly statement. If the RDA loses money then they'll use force".

"Than we have a time limit" said Grace, "I think we've got three months".

"I'm on it" said Jake, "and so is Norm".

After breakfast Jake walks across the lab, flanked by Grace and Norm. Grace holds stereo still pictures in front of him, one at a time images of clan members she has shot over the years, this is kind of flash card drill.

"Tsu'tey" says Jake as Grace moved to the next photo, "Mo'at and Eytukan"

"He's the clan leader" said Grace as she pointed at the pictures of both Mo'at and Eytukan, "but she's the spiritual leader. Like a shaman".

"Got it and Eywa is there goddess" said Jake.

"Remember she is their only deity. The Great Mother. The goddess made up of all living things. You'd better treed lightly about that topic" said Norm

Jake sits in his link unit and prepares to link up, "I've got a date with the chief's daughter" said Jake with a gin, "I'll try to find a nice girl for you Norm unless you want to tell Trudy you like her".

Norm looked down in embarrassment, Jake had pieced it together that his new friend had a thing for their pilot.

"Knock it off. Jesus, it's like kindergarten around here" said Grace. As Jake settled into the soft embrace of the link, Grace inputs commands at the control station.

"Neytiri was my best student. She was the fastest learner among the young Na'vi", Grace smiled as she remembered her school, "Okay, let's go, village life starts early".

"Link is ready" announced Max's voice through the intercom.

Grace lowers the bio-sensor array over Jake's chest, "Don't do anything unusually stupid and try not to kill anyone". She closes the clamshell and she sees Jake grinning from ear to ear at her last remark.

_-Break _

Jake wakes up in his avatar body blinking awake and staring up at hometree, like a gothic cathedral overhead. Sunlight streams down through gaps in the towering vault. He gets up and walks among the villagers, who go about their daily tasks. Young girls sit together, weaving and singing. They look up as he passes and then go back to work. Two men clean the fish they've caught. A young mother pounds seeds into meal, while nursing an infant. Children chase each other and climb like monkeys. One bold little girl runs up to Jake, stops, staring, and then shrieks with laughter as she runs back to her playmates.

Jake grins at the children and turns around to see Neytiri cantering toward him on a direhorse. She leads a second horse, an old sway-backed mare, his grin drops and his expression becomes serious.

"Let me guess I learn to ride first". Neytiri smiles and nods at him.

The two walk away from hometree into a near by clearing were Jake will try to ride and Neytiri will watch to see if he does it correctly. Jake nervously grips the surcingle of the mare. Neytiri holds its nose-ring while Jake clumsily mounts. Jake bends one of its antennas down to the tip of his queue. He hesitantly touches them together and links with the direhorse.

Jake's pupils dilate and his mouth drops open. The horse's eyes also go wide and it honks nervously. Neytiri touches her fingertips to the neural interface.

"_This is shahaylu: the bond. Feel her heartbeat, her breath. Feel her strong legs"._

Jake closes his eyes, nodding at her instructions: he clears his mind and slowly lets himself become one with the horse. The experience is strange but he does his best to remain calm, if a direhorse is anything like a normal horse than it can pick up on his feeling and if he feels nervous it will be nervous.

Tsu'tey and another young hunter come out of the forest leading two direhorses. The magnificent animals drink from the edge of the pool. Tsu'tey watches Jake's riding lesson with disdain.

"You may tell her what to do" says Neytiri as she touches the direhorses head, "For now, say where to go".

Jake focuses his mind and tells the direhorse to move forward and at a steady pace. The horse launches into a gallop. Jake flops around but promptly tells the horse to slow through the link before he is thrown off. He would have landed painfully in the mud if he didn't react fast enough. Jake commands the direhorse to take a few lamps but to be calm.

"_Good but your hesitant, that can get you and her killed. Practice try more command and to move faster"._

Jake gives various commands through the bond; he is testing what he can and can't do, all the while trying to move faster. It is hard to use his thoughts to guide the direhorse and it is a strain on his already labored mind: he is not only linked to his avatar but another sentient being.

As Jake continues to practice Tsu'tey and another hunter come thundering across the shallow river on their direhorses.

Jake stomps, weary of Tsu'tey and his follower, Tsu'tey stops his horse next to him, looking at with disdain.

"You should go away"says Tsu'tey harshly.

"I knew you could speak English" said Jake unimpressed by Tsu'tey, "are you here to say something important or are you going to waste my time".

Tsu'tey turns to Neytiri, who is trying to hold back laughter.

"_This alien will learn nothing. A rock sees more" _said Tsu'tey

She sighs and shakes her head: uncertain of what to say. Tsu'tey and the other hunter guide their horses around and thunder off into the woods.

"Again" said Neytiri as she looked at Jake.

_-Break _

After his second day at hometree Jake unlinked from his avatar and returned to his human body. He is now sitting with Grace, Norm, Max and few scientists. Jake is talking to them about Hometree's inner structure and life among the Na'vi.

"You've got outer columns, then a secondary ring here, and an inner ring. Then a core structure, it's like a spiral, that's how they move up and down" said Jake.

"I though as much" said Grace, "We weren't aloud inside but thanks to you we've got the gist of were at what they live on".

At the stairwell stands an unseen figure he's been watching Jake talking rapidly to Grace and the other, but can't hear him them or understand them. Frowning the stranger backs away, down the stairs. As he leaves Jake, Grace and Norm are packing science gear and supplies.

"I'm not about to let Quaritch and Selfridge micro-manage this thing" she looks pointedly at Jake, "We're going up into the mountains. There's a mobile link up at Site 26 that we can work out of and were Parker and Quaritch can't try to listen in"

"Your welcome for the warning" said Jake as he sat back in a chair.

"The Hallelujah Mountains?" asked Norm excitedly.

"That's right" said Grace while ignoring Jake.

"Yesssss!" says Norm while looking at Jake, "The legendary Floating Mountains of Pandora? Heard of them?"

"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this move" said Jake.

**-End Chapter **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Outpost and Na'vi Life **

High in the clear skies of Pandora a Samson thunders over the rainforest, climbing into the mist-shrouded mountains. In the sealed cockpit, Norm is up front, sitting left seat so Trudy can talk him through the flight controls. Jake and Grace are behind them, in the jump-seats. Grace and Norm's unconscious avatar's ride in the open back compartment.

"It only takes tiny inputs. Here, put your hand on the cyclic" she points to the stick between her knees. Norm hesitantly reaches over and rests his hand on hers, "Feel how small the moves are? You barely have to think it, and the aircraft reacts"

Norm is nervous but Trudy makes no motion of acknowledging his nervousness.

The Sampson is dwarfed by enormous arches of rock as the entrance Hallelujah Mountains come into view. It is an epic sight to see these majestic structures floating so high; they defy any scientific logic, but show anyone just how beautiful Pandora is.

"See these magnetic formations. We're getting close" said Grace with a smile.

"Yeah we are. Look at my instruments" said Trudy. On the dash, many of the displays are fritzing out.

"Yup. We're in the flux vortex" said Grace.

Ahead, a cloud bank parts, revealing, the Hallelujah Mountains, If Jake thought the entrance was impressive than the mountains themselves were flabbergasting.

"Oh. My. God" said Norm.

Jake leans forward between the seatbacks for a good look out the front canopy. Enormous islands of rock are hovering a half mile above the ground. They are overgrown with rainforest, and straggly beards of vines hang down beneath them. Waterfalls stream down the sides and dissolve into spray at the bottom. Jake stares in amazement. It is both awe-inspiring and mesmerizing.

Trudy turns, grinning at Jake and the others, "You should see your faces".

The Samson is tiny as it approaches the floating islands of rock. An archipelago among the clouds, they cast great shadows over the forested slopes below.

"I know what you're all asking" said Grace, "So what does hold them up? Simply put it is a maglev effect because Unobtoniun is a superconductor it allows the mountains to defy the laws of physics"

Jake spots the outpost: two shacks and a few clusters of instruments perched on a promontory near the Hallelujah Mountains. The shacks are airlift modules the size of buses. Trudy lands the Sampson, beating the grass with its rotor-wash. The group hops out, wearing Exopacks. They move toward the Shack, taking in the spectacular panorama.

Norm, Trudy, and Jake walk inside, turning on the lights and equipment. There are 4 bunks, a clutter of science gear, and, through a short connecting corridor, they see three link units in the second module.

Grace is already powering up the Link equipment, Jake stops to look at pictures that are taped and tacked up around her workstation. He looks at Grace posing at the school with various grinning children. There is one lanky girl who stands out, a younger Neytiri and a few girls stand with Grace, all smiling.

"Jake, take number two, it's the least glitchy. Norm, I need you to operate Jake's link" said Grace calmly.

"On it" said Norm as he passed Jake with a frown.

"Hey Norm what's wrong, it's like you've got a chip on your shoulder?"

Norm turns to Grace and Grace, his frustration boiling over, "I trained three years for this mission. I speak the language fluently and learned everything I could but I feel useless".

"Patience is a virtue Norm" said Grace, "Don't worry our time will come"

"Yeah, well I just feel like a burden. I mean you're a great guy Jake and you've always tried to help but I feel like everything is being dumped on you and we can't do anything to help in the slightest"

"Hey don't worry" said Jake reassuringly, "Today I'm talking to Eytukan, if were lucky you and Grace can come over"

"I hate to break up this wonderful friendship moment" said Grace, "but let's get you in the link and of to wonderland".

_-Break_

As usual Jake wakes up in the village when everyone gets up he is keeping up with Neytiri as she leaps up the core trunk like a lemur. He climbs behind her, young children watch as he moves effortlessly, some adults laugh as Jake jumps effortlessly from branch to branch. He reaches Neytiri as she walks onto a large branch. Through gaps in the foliage Jake can see other Great Trees scattered across the landscape, like enormous umbrellas above the rainforest.

Neytiri strides out across the branch toward some kind of structure, a web made of thick woven fiber. Dark shades clinging to it stir with a leathery rustling sound. Jake is tense, he reaches into his pants for one of his many knives, which he intents to wash in a nearby stream. Neytiri makes a series of trills and clicks. One of the shapes moves toward them, emerging into a shaft of sunlight.

Jake looks upon a huge mountain banshee. Much larger than the forest banshees, this thing is taller than a Na'vi with a 10 meter wingspan. A leathery fwhoop, like the crack of sails, as it alights on the branch right in front of her.

"That's new and interesting" said Jake un-phased by the sight of the creature.

"Do not look in her eye" said Neytiri. Neytiri feeds it a large scrap of meat, which it snatches and gulps down. She murmurs to it and strokes its neck. It lets out a signature shriek, and some of the others in the shadows nearby answer. Neytiri moves her queue and gently connects it to the Banshee's antenna. It shivers and stretches its wings as the neural connection is made.

"Ikran is not horse. Once shahaylu is made, Ikran will fly with only one Hunter in the whole life" she climbs smoothly onto the animal's back.

"To become _taronyu_, Hunter, you mustchoose your own Ikran. And he must chooseyou".

"When?" asked Jake

"When you are ready", the banshee shivers with anticipation.

"Heeyaaahh!" yelled Neytiri.

Jake jumps back as the great wings of the Ikran explode open and the banshee drops off the branch. It swoops down across the forest canopy, banks hard, and lets out a cry and beats its wings in a power climb. Completing the bank, Neytiri directs the banshee into a close swooping flyby, and Jake instinctively ducks. Jake stands and watches Neytiri flying in perfect fusion with her winged mount, the rainforest rolling beneath her.

Jake and Neytiri now kneel together inside Hometree. Neytiri touches her lips with her fingertips, _"Seyri"_ says Jake, she touches her nose, her ears, and her eyes in quick sequence, _"Ontu, mikyun, nari"._

Later in the day Neytiri stands next to him, correcting his position as he draws a longbow. Barking commands, she smacks him on the shoulder, then the elbow, repositioning him roughly.

'_Neytiri thinks I'm some kind of moron' _thought Jake as night fell.

After that the day went by smoothly until dinner time came for the Na'vi. Jake approached Eytukan, Mo'at, and Tsu'tey. Tsu'tey and Jake glared at each other both to prideful to back down from any form of a challenge. Eytukan watched in amusement: the older Na'vi male understands what it is like to young and full of pride while Mo'at thinks it is foolish male stubbornness.

Mo'at clears her throat, "Is there something you need Jakesully".

"I need to speak with the two of you in private" said Jake while looking at Tsu'tey.

"_Go Tsu'tey, we will speak to Jakesully alone" _said Eytukan his voice stern and leaving no room for argument.

Tsu'tey leaves if only begrudgingly.

"What do you wish to discuss Jakesully" says Mo'at calmly.

Jake takes a deep breath and prepares to make his request, "Do you both remember Doctor Augustine".

"We remember the toktor" said Mo'at, "she loved to tech the children. Many of the young ones are said that they no longer learn from her".

"She is sad too" said Jake, "I know you don't trust me and have no reason to trust me but I'm asking if it would be alright to let her come here".

Eytukan looks at Jake, his eyes calculating and his expression unreadable, "You may bring her here. She has proven herself to us Jakesully, something you have yet to do".

With that said Jake left to prepare for bed with a smile on his face, looks like he was going home with some good news.

_-Break_

Jake already returned to the outpost, Norm and Trudy are outside while Grace stands over him with a light cigarette.

"Your gonna kill yourself with those" said Jake as he exited his link unit.

"Video log now, Specter" said Grace as she pointed to a camera

"Do I have to do this? I need some sleep" complained Jake.

Grace, behind him, looks down upon his while scowling, "Don't give me that. I remember someone not to long ago getting out of his link and going to play basketball with Norm and the others".

"Yeah, I'll finish" said Jake as he looked to the camera, "The days are different something new everyday. Learning to speak the language is easy; I figure it's like field-stripping a weapon, repetition. As I run over rocks, leaping onto thick roots, and run across the rough bark of tress my feet are getting tougher. I can run farther every day in my avatar body".

With that Jake ends his video log and turns to Grace, "Oh before I forget, you and Norm should prep your avatar" said Jake with a grin, "I talked to Mo'at and Eytukan, he seems alright with letting you come to hometree".

"How'd you pull that one off" said Grace surprised.

"It's called charm Grace" said Jake with a grin, "It's what's allowing Norm to sweet talk Trudy".

Norm walks inside; despite his Exopack being on Jake can tell he is blushing. "Hey Jake" greeted Norm.

"Good timing Norm" said Jake "I was just telling Grace how I sweet-talked Mo'at into giving you and her an all pass".

"You mean will actually go to the village?" asked Norm his eyes going wide with excitement.

"Yep. I told to give us you two days to prepare". Jakes smile was only outmatched by Norm's enthusiasm.

The night at the outpost was anything but peaceful. Norm and Grace are going over notes, what supplies to take what questions to ask, and what to try to study. Jake lets the two have their excitement and heads outside for fresh air and to talk to Trudy. She is always easy to talk to and maybe she can provide some outlook on Quaritch.

"So we going out in two days" said Trudy.

She is wearing her Exopack and is moving about, working on her Sampson, she is taking the time to run a systems check from the inside out. Like most pilots she undoubtedly wants her favorite ship to be in top condition and working at above average performance.

"Yes we are" replied Jake, "you should see those two like kids at a candy store".

"Yeah" said Trudy, "Sully if Norm gets hurt because of this, than you get hurt". Trudy's words were simple, blunt, and somewhat intimidating.

"Overprotective much".

"Call it what you like Sully but a girl's gotta look out for what she's interested in and I'm interested in Norm".

"Night Trudy, I promise I'll bring him back in one piece". With that Jake went to bed, a smile on his face, Pandora was feeling more and more like a home, something he hasn't had in a long time.

_-Break (Two Days Later)_

Time is passing quickly for Jake it has been four months since his arrival to Pandora and for three he has been spending it with the Na'vi people. They've come to accept him, slowly but cautiously they've accepted him. Neytiri as he even been friendlier to him and Tsu'tey has backed off somewhat. Neytiri is leading him along a massive root it is at least 30 meters above the ground. He sprints with her through the trees, trying to keeping up. The two climb and leap with the ease of a spider monkeys.

'_I've had to trust my avatar body to know what to do. With Neytiri it's learn fast or die' _thought Jake as he prepared for his morning training with Neytiri.

Neytiri leaps off into space, falling, falling until she catches an enormous palm leaf and, gripping it, allows its drop to slow her fall. She lets go, plummeting, and catches another. Jake follows in a leap of faith going from leaf to leaf, down and down in an amazing rush. He drops down from the last leaf, landing next to her on the trail back to hometree. Neytiri is surprised that he followed.

'_You never stop amazing me Jakesully' _thought Neytiri as she looked at him.

Neytiri studies Jake: he is like no dreamwalker she's ever seen, he learns faster than anyone she has ever taught. _'It must be because of his warrior up bringing' _thought Neytiri, _'these lessons are new but he adjust so well because he has been learning all his life to be a warrior for his people'. _

"Neytiri" says Jake while shaking her, "Come on Norm and Jake should be here".

The two sprint back hometree and are greeted by the sight of Norm, in avatar form, formally greeting Mo'at. The matriarch looks pleased by his manners and respect and than looks over with a smile as Grace kneels to hug children she knows. Jake looks on Grace's eyes sparkle as she chats with them in Na'vi.

Grace looks up to see Jake and Neytiri approaching. It is an awkward moment between them. Grace makes the formal gesture of greeting.

"_I See you, Neytiri Mo'at'ite" _says Grace.

"_I See you, Doctor Grace Augustine" _greets Neytiri.

Jake looks around and spots Trudy and the Sampson: the Sampson is surrounded by many Na'vi villagers they look on in amazement at the machine. Some brave children touch it and look at Trudy in awe. For some villagers this is the first time seeing an actual human. Many mumble about how small she is while others try to make heads or tail of the Sampson.

"_Tiny, isn't she" _says Jake as he approaches the crowed, _"don't worry she wont hurt you and her Sampson is only loud"._

"_It is so strange and cold" _says one child as she approaches Jake.

"_Don't worry about it" _said Jake as he past the girl and gave her reassuring smile. "Trudy you okay in here?" questions Jake as he opens the Sampson up.

"Fine Jake" replied Trudy through the intercom, "Your supplies are in the box".

Jake asked Grace and Norm to bring him a new set of pants some ammunition he brought to the outpost for the guns he has on him their first sortie and a two more sets of knives, he's used those a lot for the past three months with the Na'vi. As he opens the box to get the supplies Jake see's the pictures of Grace with the laughing kids at the school with a 'thank you' note on it.

"Those were happier times" whispers a voice from behind Jake. He turns to see Neytiri behind him, her face sad and her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"If-" before Jake finished she turned around.

"I don't want to remember those times".

"Fair enough" said Jake as he walked pass her, "come on I'll tell you about the Marines. After all you need learn about me right".

Hesitantly she nodded, "Why do you call yourselves Jarheads"

"Damn it I'm gonna give Grace hell for telling you that".

**-End Chapter**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Living In-between Worlds and Regretting Nothing **

Neytiri kneels on a game trail, pointing out the tracks in the mud to Jake. She touches the edges of the plants around her, and sniffs the air.

'_I'm learning to read the trails, the tracks at the water-hole, and the tiniest scents and sound' _thought Jake, _'this will help survive anything that Quaritch has planned'._

Jake and Neytiri watch through a screen of leaves as a herd of huge, armored Sturmbeest walk through the shallows of a lake. In the middle of the herd, the babies are sheltered from predators among their parents' legs. One of the bulls' trumpets and a flock of Tetrapterons takes flight in an explosion of purple wings. Jake stares at the strange and wild alien tableau.

Neytiri stand utterly still, except for her ears, which move with a life of their own. Her eyes are closed.

"When you hear nothing, you will hear everything. When you see nothing, you will see everything".

'_Sometimes I have no idea what she's talking about' _thought Jake as he watched begin to silently move.

Neytiri creeps up quietly, stalking a large male Hexapede, a six legged deer-like creature, with Jake right behind her. Jake expertly nocks an arrow and draws his bow as Neytiri watches. He takes a bead on the Hexapede, tracks it for a beat with the drawn bow, and then relaxes his arm.

'_Like any good sniper you relax and let the target roam. Then you take him down'. _With that last thought he let his arrow fly and his target feel down.

After striking the Hexapede Jake, Neytiri and other hunters return to hometree with the Hexapede for a feast. Today was Jakes first official hunt with a hunting party and to take down a Hexapede with a single arrow is the sign of a good hunter. Neytiri soon moves on and forces Jake to follow.

He can tell she is going to teach him something: after months of being teacher and student the two understand each other. Neytiri and Jake crawl through the undergrowth. She points and he parts some leaves to see a mother viperwolf bringing meat to her cubs and licking their faces. Jake looks at the side of the viperwolf and recognizes it as the one he stopped Neytiri from killing when they meet.

'_She's__always going on about the flow of energy__, __the spirits of the animals and everything that Eywa nurtures and cares for' _thought Jake as she

_-Break_

"I just hope this tree hugger lifestyle isn't on the final" said Jake into a camera, completing his video log. Behind him, Grace is hunched over her samples, she has been happily lately: visiting the village has uplifted her spirits.

"This isn't just about eye-hand coordination out there. You need to listen to what she says. Try to see the forest through their eyes" said Grace without looking at him.

"Excuse me" said Jake with a grin, "this is my video-log here and I'm trying to detail what its like to follow a girl who jumps off giant tree"

"You know I got interesting news today from Max" said Grace.

"Really now, what did Maxi-boy have to report" said Jake calm and collected.

"Parker and Quaritch were throwing a fit today" said Grace with a chuckle, "It seems some of their bulldozers broke down because of mechanical failure. Those dozers were heading for hometree".

"WOW look at the time" said Jake, "I should really link up: Neytiri is probably waiting for me".

'_Like a kid' _thought Grace.

_-Break_

Neytiri stands close behind Jake, adjusting his position as he draws his bow. Only now her hands are gentle as they move on his arms, his shoulders. Aware of her touch, Jake's focus is broken. Their eyes meet, and she pulls away quickly.

'_She has nice eyes' _thought Jake as the sun began to set.

Jake and Neytiri move through the night forest, surrounded by galaxies of shimmering bioluminescence. They move gracefully, soundlessly like two forest spirits. The pupils of Jakes cat eyes dilate. The night forest floods his brain with its million bio-sources. Jake and Neytiri are bow-fishing from a dugout canoe over huge glowing anemones at the bottom of a pool.

A large fish swims silhouetted against the pastel glow. Jake hits it with an arrow. He holds up the fish, triumphantly: they head towards hometree for dinner and afterwards for a walk to relax.

They enter a clearing filled with chest-high ferns. Neytiri signals him to move slowly. They approach a creature on one of the ferns. An ugly, stick-like lizard perched on a frond. As he approaches, SNAP! A long spine whips in a circle, unfurling a bioluminescent membrane, a disk a meter across, opening like a Chinese fan. It flies off, a living Frisbee.

Neytiri plunges among the ferns with a sharp cry. An explosion of colors spreads through the clearing as dozens of fan lizards take flight. Grinning widely, she hops around like a little girl, until they are all flying. And for the first time, she is unguarded and joyful, totally herself with him.

For the rest of the night the two watch the fan lizards float across the clearing but Jake can only star at Neytiri and admire her beauty.

_-Break_

Inside the link unit Jake's eyes open in the darkness. He gets out of his link and goes to see were the others are. Jake smiles as he walks in to a dark room and turns on the light: Lying on a cot together are Norm and Trudy she mumbles in her sleep all while clinging to Norm's side. Grace is asleep on her cot, Jake hears her mumbling happily about research the Na'vi.

Jake turns on his camera and starts his video-log. "I can try to say that everything is backwards now. Like out there is the true world, and in here is the dream but that's not true. With Grace and the others I've formed a family something I haven't had in a long time and with the Na'vi I'm doing the same thing: I've got to families now-"

"Go to bed Specter" mumbles Grace sleepily, "Tomorrow the others are coming over and we've all got a lot of work"

"Night mom" says Jake as she falls asleep with a smile on her face.

_-Break_

Another day at the village has begun and Jake is with Neytiri, he silently draws his bow, his eyes focused in intense concentration. A beat, and the arrow flies. Jake moves quickly and pulls the arrow from the twitching body of a Hexapede. He dispatches it with his knife.

"_I See you Brother, and thank you. Your spirit goes with Eywa; your body stays behind to become part of the People". _He speaks haltingly, but with feeling.

Watching with approval Neytiri moves behind him "A clean kill you are ready".

_-Break_

Lying in the link, Jake looks up as Norm helps him sit up. He looks around and sees Max, some other scientist and technicians. The outpost has become a safe heaven for there little group: Quaritch has been pressing them as of late and it looks as if every passing day Parker losses control of the base while the scientist begin to leave and flock to Grace for advice.

"Here's lunch" said Grace while handing him a plate of food, "Max and the other brought it over".

"Good thing about two bodies is eating twice the food" said Jake with a smile.

"I'm surprised you don't get fat or sick" said Grace, "Eating like you do".

Jake takes the cigarette out of her mouth and stubs it out, "Cut back on this shit, then I'll stop eating like a bottomless pit". He can only grin at her scowl.

"I'm telling you, as your boss and someone who might even consider being a friend someday, to never do that again".

"Hey that's no way to look at me tomorrow we leave for Iknimaya and I need a party with you guys to mentally relax".

Grace walks past Jake, starts making herself coffee. Norm, Trudy, and Max walk in side the shack while accompanied by others.

"Yeah, you're gonna ride a banshee. Or die trying" said Grace. For a minute she sounds like a mother, her tone disapproving and weary.

"That's right, Grace. This is what I've been working for apparently"

"And this is your check up from the neck up, Specter. You're getting in way too deep" she turns away, "Trust me, I learned the hard way".

Jake scans the pictures tacked up around Grace's workstation. The other people in the room walk over to Jake and look at Grace who turns from all four of them.

"I think you should tell Sully what happened, doc" says Trudy, her voice low.

"You mean what happen at the school?" said Max wearily.

Grace looks up from making coffee. Her eyes track across the pictures of the laughing children.

"Some of the older children stopped coming to school. They were angry about the clear-cutting" Grace sips her coffee, grimaces at the taste, "One day, a couple of young hunters and kids came running in, all painted up, something had them scared and I guess they thought I could protect them".

Grace's voice stays oddly calm all while getting milk out of the nearby refrigerator.

"The troopers pursued them to the schoolhouse", as she pours the milk her hand is shaking, "They fired into the doorway and they tried to shot some of the kids. I got all of the kids out, before they shot me".

"I'm going to beat the hell out of Parker when I see him".

"Don't bother" said Max, "He isn't the one to blame. Parker has a say in operations but Quaritch is the head of the troops: those goons are completely devoted to him; it wouldn't surprise me if he tries to kill us and Parker".

Jake realizes that Grace is on the verge of tears and desperately trying to hide it, "A scientist stays objective, and we can not be ruled by emotion. But I poured ten years of my life into that school. They called me _sa'atenuk_, Mother" she turns to them, "That kind of pain reaches back through the link".

Grace sits down at the table, looks intently at Jake, "It's a job. Learn what you can but don't get attached".

Grace looks at Jake, Norm, Max, and Trudy with a pain none can truly comprehend; in her eyes they see a terrible sadness.

"It's not our world, Jake. And we can't stop what's coming".

"From were I stand I live in two worlds" said Jake as he and the others sat around Grace, "there both real and whatever comes our way we can handle as long as we stand together".

"You really don't regret anything you do, do you?" questioned Grace with a lopsided grin.

"Not really, regrets are for pansies and quitters".

That night, everyone goes to sleep without regrets.

_-Break_

Tsu'tey leads three direhorse riders up the trail, tow teenaged hunters and Jake, who's riding with a smile on his face. The horses' hooves clop right next to a sheer drop into a misty canyon.

'_Iknimaya translates roughly as stairway to heaven. It's the test every young hunter has to pass' _thought Jake, _'this may be hard'._

Tsu'tey signals a stop. Up-slope ahead is an astounding formation. Thick vine-like trees have trapped large floating boulders of Unobtoniun in their gnarled grip. A hundred meters above them more boulders are woven into the twisted vine-trunks. This is some sort of freak natural occurrence, like the mythical beanstalk, going up into the clouds.

There is a thundering roar, like an artillery barrage, and the ground shakes. Jake looks around at one of the floating mountains grinding against the flank of a nearby mesa. A huge rock fall is set loose. The mountain is drifting toward them, filling half the sky. The Hunters dismount and Jake looks up at the beanstalk going into the clouds. He turns to Tsu'tey, who is checking the young hunters' gear.

"Let's do this" said Jake.

Jake leaps to catch up as Tsu'tey and the hunters swarm up the base of the beanstalk.

Roughly two-hundred meters up the beanstalk, the hunters nimbly climb along the vine-trunks. They clamber over one of the Unobtoniun boulders which is lifting this incredible tree. Jake looks down the massive trunk dwindles to the size of a licorice stick. A chunk breaks off a boulder as he climbs over it, it floats upward. They reach the upper branches of the beanstalk. Above them, the craggy underbelly of Mons Veritatis looms. Spray from one of the waterfalls hits them. Some of the hanging vines are brushing over the upper branches of the beanstalk with a crackling hiss.

One by one the hunters grab onto vines as they pass.

Jake shrugs and leaps to a passing vine, his feet dangling over nothingness. They climb toward the floating islands above.

Tsu'tey, Jake, and the others cross a causeway of vines connecting a small island of Unobtoniun to the main mass of Mons Veritatis. Looking down a rock face bigger than Half Dome, the sheer side of Mons Veritatis. Banshees circle next to the cliffs, flashing in shafts of sunlight. Waterfalls dissolve into nothingness below. A waterfall thunders down into the void like a faucet of the gods. Jake looks down the sheer cliff at the world far below it is like a view from Olympus.

A shriek and the flapping of leathery wings grabs Jake's attention. He sees Neytiri's Banshee swoop in to perch at the edge of the grotto. She dismounts and, like a falconer, covers its eyes with a woven hood. It waits, docile, as she joins Jake and the hunter party. Tsu'tey leads them through the cave until they emerge onto a cliff face. Jake sees the Banshee Rookery. Hundreds of banshees huddle on rock out-croppings as far as the eye can see. They cling to the walls with the fore-claws on their wings, or perch on ledges.

"Jakesully will go first" Tsu'tey smirks at Jake, a challenge in his eyes. The two teenage Hunters are scared but trying to act tough. Tsu'tey scowls as he sees Neytiri lead Jake out onto the ledge.

"Now you choose your Ikran. This you must feel - inside. If he also chooses you, move quick, like I showed. You will have one chance".

"How will I know if he chooses me?"

"He will try to kill you". Neytiri's remark was simple and Jake only looked at her blankly.

"Outstanding"

Neytiri takes his hand and squeezes it. Jake feels a rush of emotion, but she breaks away like it didn't happen. He is on his own, on the ledge with the banshees. They eye him as he approaches. Several shriek and take flight. Others flap their wings and yawn, showing rows of fangs, in a threat display. Jake unrolls a weighted leather strap, like a one-ended bolo. A large male spreads enormous wings, shrieks, and glares straight at him.

Jake looks directly into its eyes and strides toward it.

"Let's go"said Jake.

The challenged banshee hisses and leaps at him, jaws wide as Jake times the lunge, swinging the bolo, feinting and then slipping aside as the banshee's jaws miss him, snapping shut. Jake whaps the bolo across its snout. The weighted thong whips twice around its long jaws, tying them shut. A muffled scream and it slashes at his stomach with razor talons but Jake is already leaping, over the talons and tackling the banshee around the neck. It topples on its side, and he swarms it, arms around its thrashing head.

Jake grabs its whip-like antenna and brings it toward his queue but the bony head slams sideways, and clocks him right in the head, almost knocking him out and it writhes, flinging him to the ground. He slides on the rock and almost goes over the edge. Neytiri gasps. Tsu'tey laughs and yells mockingly.

The bolo is coming loose as the creature shakes its head, way pissed off now, but Jake scrambles up and leaps straight at it. Claws almost rake his leg and he gets his arms around its head and clamps down hard. They flop to the ground and he scrambles on top, pinning it and grabs it's whipping antenna, locks it under his arm, and jams the end of his queue into it.

They fuse together and the banshee stops struggling. It lies there panting. They are locked together, literally eye to eye.

"That's right! Relax partner" said Jake soothingly. The pupils of the banshee are like a deep black well. Jake relaxes his grip and slowly slides his leg over the creature's back. Neytiri runs to him.

"First flight seals the bond. You cannot wait" says Neytiri.

Jake sits astride the creature, feeling its power. He grips a hank of the beast's main, and feels a power like nothing before. The banshee is off like a shot. Jake screams in excitement as they plummet off the cliff the banshee wails and they fall together, spiraling out of control, and he is almost tossed lose. The thing is squawking and shrieking in excitement, as the bond settles Jake can barely think.

'_Level out! Fly straight!' _yells Jake in his mind.

It levels out. Jake cocks his head, only thinking "bank left" and the animal complies. He settles the banshee into an easy loping beat of its huge wings, while he catches his breath. Neytiri's banshee falls into formation with him. She signals to follow her and dives. Jake guides his banshee clumsily after her. Neytiri's banshee moves with precise movements of its wingtips, while Jake's wobbles and dips, almost falling out of the sky. Neytiri leads an arcing dive around the flank of Mons Veritatis. The scenery is stunning. They pass waterfalls and swoop between hanging vines.

Neytiri leads Jake in a sharp bank, skimming close to the cliffs. They punch through streamers of cloud and emerge into sunlight. Jake is getting the hang of it. He jinks left, then right, then dives, tucking himself tight against the animal's back. He's reckless, fearless. Half in control and loving it. Neytiri dives next to him as he lets out a whoop of joy. The two land in a nearby cliff and smile at each other.

Neytiri squats with Jake, who is resting, using her hands to explain flight principles like one fighter pilot toanother. The mount there banshees and look down the sheer cliff. Jake and Neytiri dive their mounts straight down, pulling out and soaring into a series of aerobatic turns.

"I may not be much of a horse guy" yells Jake to Neytiri, "but I was born to do this".

They regroup with Tsu'tey and join in close formation with Tsu'tey and the young hunters, five banshees flashing through scarves of mist. Jake dives into a cloud and breaks formation he and Neytiri follows. They are soon playing hide and seek among the clouds. They are wild and free in a wild world. She grins and banks hard, diving, a challenge: catch me if you can. He dives after her.

In the end of the day, by firelight, Jake's banshee snaps at a piece of meat which he playfully pulls back. He's teaching it to take the food more slowly. He strokes its long head. Tsu'tey is nearby with the young hunters. He eyes Jake with frustrated hostility.

_-Break_

Jake and Neytiri fly abreast, soaring easily in this new day. She points and Jake sees a bizarre geological formation. Arches of magnetic rock form rainbows of stone above a deep caldera. In the center of the caldera is a single, enormous willow tree, gnarled and ancient.

'_The Tree of Souls' _thought Jake, _'Quaritch has plans for this place'._

Jake flies with Neytiri along a forested ridge away from the ancient tree and onto today's lesson. She is teaching him to hunt from his banshee. They carry their bows at the ready, scanning below them for prey. A huge shadow covers him and Neytiri shouts a warning. Jake looks up to see a Leonopteryx in a delta-dive, whistling straight at him. Like a banshee, only several times larger, it is the king predator of the air: the great Leonopteryx.

Striped scarlet, yellow and black, with a midnight blue crested head it is both gorgeous and terrifying. The hunter has become the prey. Jake snap-rolls and dives toward the forest canopy. He plummets into the gloom as the Leonopteryx tears through foliage, following him down, both diving like missiles and Jake yanks into a hair-pin bank, right through a gap between two huge branches forcing the Leonopteryx to brake with a loud flapping of its wings. It banks away with a frustrated shriek. Two flaps of its mighty wings and it is gone, back above the canopy.

Leonopteryx opens its fanged mouth with in a bloodcurdling screech which echoes among the mountains. The lord of its domain. Jake calm and silent sees as Neytiri flies up, her expression the Na'vi equivalent of Oh my God. A beat and they both crack up.

'_I guess we can't have regrets' _thought Jake as he watched Neytiri laugh, _'if we have regrets we cant live life and move forward'. _

**-End Chapter.**


End file.
